My Cup of Tea

"I'm sorry, did I fucking stutter?" Vervain's voice was smooth and dark, her tongue as sharp as a razor's as her grip tightened on the glass she was wiping. She turned to regard Kalt with near identical blue eyes to those he rambled on about, though her gaze was incredulous and unimpressed as she stared him down. He waxed poetic about her daughter like she was some dark angel fallen from the skies, like she was this beautiful, tragic creature that could only be healed by a touch like his own. It took all of Vai's self-control not to laugh in his face. As he continued, truly twisting the knife in deep by daring to talk about the daughter she had never gotten a chance to know, Vai didn't break a bottle over his head. But she did throw the glass at him - hard. "Do you enjoy listening the sound of your own tripe, or is there a point to this?" she snapped. "I get it, Kalt-who-I've-known-for-five-seconds. You think you know best. You think you know it all, don't you?" She shook her head. "You know absolutely nothing about me. What, do you think I pranced around Northwind for over a decade in a petticoat calling Ashe's name? A man who killed his own family to save them from starving to death taught me to string my first bow." Vai folded her arms across her chest to stop them trembling or launching another glass. "I travelled with murderers, rapists, thieves, ones who didn't have the skill or finesse of an assassin. Ones who had to get their hands real dirty, and live with the consequences because it was always personal." Her lips twisted in disgust. "You have no idea what I see in her. You haven't a clue what I might understand. For instance, my daughter can speak for her fucking self, thank you." Burning eyes flicked to Ashetta. Her voice softened, barely. "He said 'let you stay married'. Were you with him while you were still married to Alistair?" vervain touch-a touch-a touch me I wanna be dirty